Defending the grid with secure connectivity

How IoT supports energy security in Singapore

IoT connects physical devices to exchange data without human interaction. It is the backbone of smart manufacturing and smart infrastructure, including connected homes, cars and cities.

In Singapore's energy sector, IoT technology connects a diverse network of energy infrastructure – from microgrids and wind turbines to solar farms and smart meters. This aligns with Singapore's smart nation initiative and its commitment to energy innovation. These interconnected solutions are transforming how energy is generated, stored, and distributed, advancing both energy security and sustainability goals.

As this connectivity expands, it will increasingly relay data that energy companies use to manage equipment. This data will support decision-making as companies track performance to predict maintenance cycles, monitor devices and conditions to forecast impact on output, and control devices in remote locations.

Beyond equipment management, smart metering solutions will connect a growing volume of meters and sensors to monitor energy consumption. This will contribute to load balancing efforts, something which will become steadily more important as electric vehicles, heat pumps and other devices send back, as well as draw down, electricity from the grid.

Cellular IoT is ideally suited to connect the devices and solutions of smart energy systems. It is already adopted in a broad range of industrial and commercial applications because it is flexible, scalable and designed for high availability.

Infrastructure for energy security needs secure connectivity

All this connectivity, which will be an integrated part of renewable energy models, must be secure to mitigate the risk of attacks on devices and infrastructure. All connected devices have an attack surface. The question becomes, what measures can be taken to protect them? Any weaknesses could open devices, networks or management platforms up to risk. Weaknesses could be technical or, just as easily, procedural. Cyber criminals target people in organisations through phishing emails and other means.

To stay ahead of the curve, IoT connectivity providers, and the device manufacturers and energy companies they support, must prioritise cyber security, at every stage. That means from device identity authentication and secure connectivity to grid infrastructure, IT systems and cloud destinations. It also means best practice processes and procedures, cyber security training for staff and due diligence with suppliers to ensure they meet the standards too.

Think of IoT security like a high-tech spy mission: it starts with foolproof ID cards that get your devices past the front door. Then, just as secret agents use secure channels to transmit classified information, our systems create ultra-secure pathways through private access point names (APNs) and encrypted virtual private networks (VPNs).

But here's where it gets clever – we’ve got AI playing the role of an ever-vigilant security chief, constantly scanning for anything suspicious and ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble.

When it comes to protecting critical national infrastructure, cyber security must be multi-layered and uncompromising, there's no such thing as overkill. As Singapore continues to position itself as a global smart city and technology hub, cellular IoT will be instrumental in supporting energy security and sustainability goals.

In our current world where energy is the lifeline of modern society, cyber secure connectivity isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s the lifeline that keeps the lights on and the future bright.

Simon Trend is managing director for Americas, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and North Africa at Wireless Logic